How Three Artists Scored No. 2 Hot 100 Hits Without Doing Anything on the Songs
These three artists reached the runner-up spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with songs bearing their names — but not any of their musical contributions.
Three artists found themselves credited on Hot 100 hits despite not contributing musically. For Bill Parsons, an aspiring country singer-songwriter, it started with an unfortunate record deal in the late 1950s. After completing a demo of "The All American Boy," the recording was released under his name despite him having no part in its creation. Parsons continued promoting the song, miming along, but it was his only Hot 100 hit.
Meanwhile, Cliff Nobles, a soul singer from Alabama, experienced a similar situation with his instrumental track "The Horse." Released in 1968, the song's success was primarily due to its catchy horn-led melody, not Nobles' vocal. The instrumental version became a hit, and Nobles led the credit on the song, dancing to it during live performances, miming a lasso twirl.
Despite this, Nobles did not reach another Hot 100 peak. Both cases highlight the complexities of chart accreditation and the sometimes arbitrary nature of who gets credited on a hit song.
Written by urgent.news from Billboard's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
